Quick Note

Now some people might say it’s a little too late to make New- Year Resolutions,

But I disagree.

Don’t you think we should wake up with new intentions, a new focus and drive each and every day?

I think so, and I have heard through the wisdom of my Pastor and knowledgeable people around me that: the only constant thing in life is CHANGE.

God is a God of change, even though He is the Rock of Ages, He still brings new life and mercies and grace into each new morning. Every day we have the opportunity to serve a God who is the most constant Being existence could ever fathom.

He is our Creator and an amazing one at that.

Praise God for His mercy and grace, as you start the new day tomorrow, do not feel bogged down by the sin and weight of the world that may have followed you into 2016.

Begin a new day, a new chapter and frame of mind, knowing that God makes all things new, and your Spiritual life can be renewed to shine brighter and brighter unto the perfect day : PROV4’18

God is good all the time,

Have a lovely week

IMTAPA

How did 1 stone kill a giant ?

Hi Guys ,

I wanted to share with you a message from Church last week that really impacted me, you know - those sermons where you just can't stop writing because of all the good theology you're hearing ?


I want to talk about David and Goliath.
Now it's probably one of the most well known accounts in the Bible.
But I saw it in such a new way, it was shocking how much depth could be gleaned from a somewhat simple event.


1SAMUEL 16'1 says : '... I have provided [for] myself a King amoung his [Jesse's] sons'


--- When David was called to be a king, he was seen as anything BUT great.
He was a shepherd (on of the most popular vocations mentioned so much in the Bible) with that came great humility, a great level of isolation, patience and endurance. So much so, that in his time of not having anyone around him, David's talent of playing the harp became a perfected skill that led him to perform infront of royalty.

God was preparing David's heart for the life ahead. He was creating a masterpiece, a man after His own heart [1SAM13'14] 

David's life becomes accounted for in the Bible after he is anointed by Samuel to be the new king of Israel [1SAM16'13]

13So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.


David has the Spirit of God come UPON him for the very special purpose God is about to fulfill in his life, to be the leader of God's nation.
But,
In the meantime, he continues to be a shepherd boy. Until he's sent on an errand to his brothers in battle.

God had prepared him with the bear and lion to defeat a giant : 1SAM17'34
34 But David said to Saul, Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock,(37) I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him.…


NOW HERE COMES THE PART I NEVER SAW BEFORE


When David went out to fight the battle, He took a few things and was led by God's Spirit.

THE STAFF 

What does a staff do , it leads, guides, and comforts you .

'...Thy rod and thy staff will comfort me...' PSALMS23

Who in our Spiritual walk is known as the comforter ? THE HOLY SPIRIT.

John 14'16 : And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
He is known as the guide : JOHN16'13: When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.
David took the staff. = HOLY SPIRIT

THE  BROOK 

The brook is a living stream of 'living water' that flows from God. Word of God, is also, a living stream that replenishes our souls and renews our minds :
But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
John4'14
Just as David picked out 5 stones for himself in the living brook,
We can also ask God for help to pick out the Scriptures we need to find in His book.
David had 5 stones = THE WORD OF GOD

How did 1 stone kill a giant ?


HEBREWS 4'12 :
'For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword...'


It was not the physical stone that killed the giant. Just like Jericho's walls, the 5 loaves and 2 fish and many other miracles in the Bible ...

What we see is just a shadow, a copy of what is really going on behind the physical world . 

In 2 KINGS 6, when Elisha and his servant were about to be attacked by a huge army, look what Elisha said :

16 “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are morethan those who are with them.”

17 And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lordopened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

We must have authority and believe that the Staff will lead us to pick the right stones from the living water. God is good. And He will not give us more than we can handle or bear. 

'... Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us...' ROMANS 12 '3


Let us aspire to the faith of David, and so man patriarchs that carried the torch of faith till this very day.
Our faith, from God, gives us the ability to pick up that one stone and throw it.
The REST is owned by God.

Amen .

Am I really a Christian ?

The Pride Issue

This is a post I was working on to submit to a Christian Girl blog a while ago,
I thought it might be an interesting read and a constant reminder
for the importance of humility in life .
IMTAPA
xx

The Pride Issue

I'd grown up in church my entire life, I had a great relationship with God however the topic of humility never seemed to resonate. I’d always thought that as long as you never externally accept a compliment, you were safe - 

Little did I know, God was planning a years’ worth of lessons to teach me one of the most important values I would ever learn as a Christian.

The Bible says that the Lord ‘hates a proud look’ Proverbs 6’17 – and my, had I given more than a few of those. As a girl who had grown up in my home town church there was a certain position I felt I owned, I blindly thought I was the ‘darling of the church’ and that people looked up to me as an exemplar person. I had perfect grades, always looked my best – hugely active in Church activities and completely lost in my own little world where everything revolved around me. I wasn’t always this way, but these emotions crept up on me almost subconsciously and I never even thought twice about my mounting self-opinion. It was a seed that had kept growing until the fruits suddenly started to show in my behaviour and thoughts towards others.

I won’t forget the moment an elder in my church congratulated me on a presentation I had made as part of a church celebration that weekend, I was feeling so puffed-up, so completely self-sufficient - and proud of it. He said ‘Well done you did a very good work today… but remember don’t let pride enter your life’. I brushed it off, but those words stuck and came back to me when I hit the ground a few months later.

As I entered into the last year of my studies at Secondary School, I realised I wasn’t as capable as I thought. Getting into University in England is not an easy task and everything was not as smooth sailing as I might have hoped for. Despite the constant hours of studying and applying myself to my work, it didn’t seem to be enough. I was beyond disappointed when I didn’t get into my first choice university, my world had collapsed because I didn’t get my way. I was no longer the perfect girl who got everything she wanted, and I couldn’t understand why.

I didn’t have a light bulb moment, and I won’t claim an epiphany, but through a series of events starting with a huge academic mishap God showed me:

The world does NOT revolve around me.

I realise now that God was used that situation to convey how severe the sin of pride is. He was not punishing me, He was re-shaping me. I needed to understand that there is no hope for a man who is ‘wise in his own eyes’ Prov26’12

Pride is a personal struggle, and it is a battle that must be consistently fought on a daily basis. It was pride that made Lucifer the devil and it is pride that causes us to sin, when we think our ways are better than obedience to God, we make the mistake of raising ourselves above God in our own minds.

 I did just that. I thought I was an un-touchable in my own right and that God would never let anything or anyone rise above me, when really, He calls us to do just the opposite. If we really want to follow Jesus by His example, we must first look at the greatest act of humility … [He] emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant being born in the likeness of men.’ Phillipans 2’7. It was Jesus’ humility that enabled the Great Exchange to even take place.

My pride was very subtle, but it was killing my relationship with God and I didn’t even know it. I want to encourage you today to take a look at your life, and see the various times you may have thought highly of yourself, ask God for guidance , confess your known and subconscious pride to Him so that He can honour you with a stronger deeper relationship.

‘One's pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honour.’ -Proverbs 29’23

Do you think of yourself more highly than others?

Have you ever given a ‘haughty look’ before ?

Do you consider humility to be an important part of your life?

It's Gods-Team or No-Team People !!!!

So I was reading 2PETER2'8 this morning and a verse was highlighted to me: 

'Yes, Lot was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day.'

In this chapter, Peter is warning Christians against false teachers. Now this is really poignant, because 'false teachers' are very much part of the end time concept or eschatology (as Paul Washer recently let me know ;) We often think of the sheep dressed inwolves clothing (MATT7'15) concept as a modern-day reality. - But it really started from the early days of the church, (2 PETER was written in AD67.) So false teachers were very much a reality in the church just about from the very start. 

'Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered. '2

The real pick up for me this morning was found in verse 8: 

'Yes Lot was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day.'

--- I was reading this and thinking, could I put myself in Lot's Position in this particular verse?

Am I tormented in my by the evil that I see around me every day, I mean, does it REALLY torment me? (Defined as, creates a severe sense of suffering in my soul?)

This question reminded me of a message I heard preached from my home church entitled: ‘Desensitisation'. It centres on the idea that Christians who live in the world should not grow cold to the things of God by subconsciously accepting the evil they see around them due to constant exposure. 

One of my really good friends, who just happens to be 80 years old said something so profound to me before she passed away 2 years ago. Whenever she used to watch the news and hear about people dying and the horrors of the world she would cry. She actually began to watch the news less and less because the horrors of so many people without hope and God in their lives made her so sad. In that moment, she made me realise how truly heartless I am. I could hear news of mass murders, wars and distastes and my emotional state doesn't usually exceed more than a 'gasp'/sigh or slight whimper. I realised that I am in danger. In danger of having a hardened heart. 

There’s a scripture that says: 'Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.'

Now I'll say that this context is talking about love for God, but in many cases this can relate to our love for others, our tolerance of sin. 

I'll speak for myself here and say that : I'm not as sensitive as I want to be  to the horrors of the world because I've seen it so often. 

And that worries me, it worries me immensely because I feel like I'm getting used to sin.

If you aren't disgusted by the transgender affairs taking place, if you laugh at crude jokes and don't feel out-of-place in groups of secularists, if you don't freeze on the inside when you hear blasphemy in songs and shudder at the halloween-aisles in the stores. If you can watch explicit movie scenes and listen to secular music all day long. - THEN YOU are being desensitised to the things of God. 

The sad part is... you may not even know it. 

MATT24'12 Says: 'Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.'

These things should scare you, and 'torment' your soul' 

We are only passing through, we are the light, and we have to outwit the darkness. 

We see in the cases of so many Biblical Characters that sin is not displayed on a plate and held for the taking; satan plants a seed, slowly makes you less sensitive to the truth and more accepting to sin, and starts luring you into a concept that you have never expected yourself to do.

'So that we would not be outwitted by satan; for we are not ignorant of his evil schemes'

2 COR 2'11

 --- The more familiar and common we become to pop-culture, and the less we are disturbed by the lesbian and gay agenda the probable and likely it is that we are going to accept it.

And I'll tell you this, it is a sin to accept something that God detests. 

I love the verse in: MATT12'30 that says: 

"Anyone who isn't with me opposes me, and anyone who isn't working with me is actually working against me.'

We can't be a humpty dumpty and sit on the fence trying to please men with your diplomatic political correctness. 

Who cares what they say!?!??

Who even are 'THEY'

THEY are no-one

ESPECIALLY when compared to my God .It's Gods Team or No Team. 

'You adulterers! Don't you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God'

JAMES4'4

And when you accept the things of the world, and the lifestyles being promoted by it, you are dismissing the lifestyle that God promotes. Of following Him.

They are on POLAR OPPOSTIE side of the scale, and not allow ourselves to walk into darkness, without even realising it because it's just such a gradual process. 

So going back to the initial verse, we are living in a Sodom and Gomorrah today. We ARE living in a place where you have to be alert and keep watch, be the watchmen of our souls and our circles. 

Because the COMING OF THE LORD is soooo close, it could be any minute. We do not for 1 second want to let our guards down and be desensitised, and be at peace with what we are seeing around us. 

KEEP WATCH.

Here's the fact: a consistent exposure to sin will lead to desensitisation. Becoming less sensitive/ more open to the things of the world means you are getting further away from God. And as you separate yourself from God, your love for him will grow cold. And that's that. It’s a fact. 

Okay, now if God is convicting you in this (you're feeling guilty)

You're thinking: I'm AM at peace with worldliness. I am insensitive to the things of God.

Immorality doesn’t affect me at all.

Then CONGRATULATIONS!

Why???

Because realising the error of your ways is the 1st step to recovery for a wounded Spirit. 

What you have to do, is go to God, and tell Him what you’re feeling. Say to Him - ' In Your WORD in 2PETER2, You say that Lot was a righteous man, and he was tormented by the evil around him.

I want to be righteous, I want to be tormented in in my soul by the evil I see day after day.'

Go please help me. 

And when you do this, 

God will make a way of escape you for.

It says in His Word in 1CORINTHIANS 10 '33:

'The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.'

We need to be able to endure this world till we go home to be with Jesus, It kind of like eating a rice cake before you go to an expensive Restaurant. The world is not supposed to satisfy us. It only leaves wanting more. And that MORE is eternity spent with Him.

So let’s not get comfortable. 

Let us ask God to Show us the way of escape (HEBREWS4’16) that we need to get to the place that we need to be in Him 

Get into the Scriptures, start reading the Bible.

Read as much or as little as you can, but with understanding. And ask God every day to show a portion of Himself to you. 

You can study scriptures 24 hours a day for 70 years, but in all that time, you will not uncover even a fraction of God in His entirety.

He is too big to capture in our minds.  

When you fill up your mind with the things of God, the things of the world will grow strangely dim.

So fix your eyes on Jesus.

IMTAPA

Lakechia xxx

(In my thoughts and prayers always.)

A Christian Girls response to AUDACITY - The movie

A little Reminder of the Focus.

                Going after JESUS ...

This entire blog's concept is based completely over the second chapter of Acts .

Acts , probably the most ACT-tion (see what I did there ?) packed book in the Bible when it comes to the movement and manifestations of the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit.

I want to look at the character of Peter, an amazing individual who had his life turned around when He met Jesus one day.

Mark 1"16&17 ' Jesus said unto them, "Come be my disciples, and I will show you how to fish for people !"

- or for the more traditional ones of us ...

'And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.'

(Good old King James)

To put it bluntly, Peter (or Simon at the time) was called by Jesus to enter His kingdom and change the world.

Looking at this verse more carefully is amazing. You see that Jesus says COME - this word in Greek is 'deute', now I'm not going to get all technical on you but looking at this translation brings a breeze and almost whimsical feeling to the scene. Deute can be : come away. - Almost as if Jesus is inviting Peter (and his brother Andrew) to enter off into a new wonderful world. His Kingdom. Which He (kind of) was.

The second (of many) translations for the word Deute is FOLLOW. Now , for those of you who have twitter, that sort of 'following' is extremely different from the one I'll be sharing with you.

I think that for the most part, the culture and society that we live in. The term : to follow someone has been cheapened. First thing that may come to mind when following someone is : liking their pictures, commenting on their captions. And for those very, very sad ones (no offense) envying the food-pics that are posted. 

But it's so , so much more ...

Peter had no idea of what he was getting himself into, but hats off to him and all respect. He had a family and a lively hood. But he left that all behind.

Q1. Why did God call fishers ?

Lets just say : fishermen were not the most respected people in Galilee- or anywhere for that matter. They were the men that smelled like fish. And although they had to be intelligent, and reasonably advanced in mathematics to sort out their market shares and stocks when it came to selling ; in no way was their brain as intellectually challenged on a daily basis as the day's doctors or teachers of the religious law. ie Pharisees (boo...hiss). 

But they were patient men, they would spend hours waiting for fish. They knew endurance, they were strong and were not fearful of the challenges that sea-storms would bring.

They were perfect.

And in fact Jesus caught Peter and Andrew, and no doubt a couple of other boats with them just coming in from a long hard night of nada. 

No fish at all.

'Master,' Simon replied 'we have worked hard all last night and didn't catch a thing

NEVERTHELESS

we will try again.

~ Luke 5v5

- So why have I highlighted the 'nevertheless' in that verse ?

Because we need that same nevertheless attitude! When we are willing to follow the will of God nomatter how little sense it may seem to our tiny peanut brains, then , and only then are we able to see the full glory of God in our lives for ourselves. Peter, Andrew, James and John all caught more fish then they ever had before that day. Why ?

Because they were obedient to God . And I just feel that obedience to the Holy Spirit and His directions in our lives is absolutely more than we could ever ask or think or imagine. Because that obedience will lead us into:  divine happiness and peace , divine health and most of all, divine character, and righteousness  because we will be walking in the will of God !

Now I haven't got this figured out yet, and I do not obey God all the time. But I yearn to .

If your like me in that , you really want your heart to be opened more and more to the amazing blessings of God. Then your in good company, because according to His word, they that hunger and thirst for righteousness shall be filled -MATT5"6

Now lets get back to Peter - great guy, good guy.

He is called the Rock of the Church (serious business) - MATT16"18

He witnesses the transfiguration - MATT17"1-7

And he stays with Jesus from day one.

However ... 

-He tries to build an alter (ie: worship) Elijah and Moses  -MATT17"4

-He doubts God -MATT14"30

-And he denies Jesus 3 times. -LUKE22"54

So how can a guy like this saves 3000 souls in one sermon .

Millions in His life time .

And even billions of souls after He died ?

Don't get me wrong - Jesus saves souls, but He uses His vessels , people like PETER to manifest and show His love here on earth by spreading the gospel.

Peter was ordinary .

But there was something very extra-ordinary in Him that made all the difference.

LUKE24"49 says :

'And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.'

The only way Peter could change from the character that He was into the man that God had put in Him from the beginning ... the only refining One that could make Peter the Peter we know today is ...

The Holy Spirit !!

It was right after Pentecost when, like a mighty rushing wind , the Holy Spirit came down to earth , and for the first time entered INTO the individual. You see , before the Holy Spirit came UPON people - Samson, David , even Elijah and Elisha - But He never entered into people.

But of course, at this point He did enter Peter - the 120 people with him (or I guess 119) and it worked wonders. Timid, denying Peter turned into bold, anointed Peter who pointed his fingers directly at the Pharisees and said ' ...you nailed Him to the cross and murdered Him. 

However , God released Him from the horrors of death and raised Him back to life ...' 

~Acts 2v14

- transformation or what ? - this was no small talk.

Peter with the power of the Holy Spirit went all-out and saved 3000SOULS.

This thought really touched me. With God power , Peter brought 3000 to Christ in perhaps not more than 2 hours. 

That's more than epic. That's a mega-huge-big-deal.

Now I know you're saying, that was Bible times , I could never do something like that . 

But please, don't limit God with your thinking. Don't stop Him by stopping His vessel = YOU.

In a time where so many people are crying out, so desperate for answers,  hope and safety. Who says you cant save 3000SOULS - or more ?

Just ask God for help to accomplish a dream only He can fulfil.

Will you join me ?

IMTAPA

Lakechia